New guy with a ?

[99jav]

Hey guys. I just found this site a couple of days ago and there is some really good info on it. You guys seem to know your stuff. I grew up crappie fishing with my grandparents every chance I got but as I got older I started bass fishing more with my dad and crappie fishing allot less. My son is 10 now and I took him crappie fishing for the first time this year and he loved it. So it looks like I going to be doing allot more of it which is fine with me because I like to eat em about as much as I like to catch em. We was going about every weekend up till november and finally got a chance to go for a few hours yesterday. I hit a few of the spots we were catching fish back in october with no luck. I did find a brush pile in 28' of water that showed fish and we caught a few on it but that was it. I don't have much experience fishing this time of year so I was wandering if they still cling tight to cover or suspend more off points and drop offs like bass. I know my local lake pretty good from bass fishing it for the last several years and was wandering what type of water and depth they are more likely to hold in during the winter. Water temp yesterday was 47-48 degrees.
Thanks

Here is my son holding a decent one we caught late summer

[Cray]

Go find your bait just like you would for bass. Don't know anything about your lakes over there but I would do just what you said. Find bends and drops in deeper water and cover will just be a plus.

[CrappiePro]

Remember most winter patterns mean fish deep water. Crappie love to stay near the bottom this time of year. Concentrate your efforts on the lower half of the water column of what ever depth your fishing. Find the massive shad build ups in deep water and you will find the crappie right below them or just off the bottom. Look for the shad in main creek channels, mouths of deep coves or at dam sites on your favorite lakes. Good Luck and I hope you and your son catch a boat load.

[shipahoy41]

Hey 99jav. Welcome from Alabama. I am still finding them in about 12-14 feet of water. Our water is still warm down here in the south. I look for structure and baitfish. Then I get the hot sauce ready becauce Crappie are coming home with me to visit Lake Crisco.

["G"]

You will find them scattered out in open water folllowing the shad....... look for shad on your FF and you will find the crappie.

[chaunc]

Not so fast my friend. Dont hesitate to check the brushpiles in shallow water. You can still catch them in 6 to 9ft water. Jig and bobber or minnow under a bobber will put fish in the livewell. The water temp is 32* here and i pulled over 20 from brush in 9ft. Give it a try too.

[99jav]

Thanks for the info guys. Hopefully after the first of the year things will slow down enough where we can get out on the water a little more often.

[SeaRay]

I would look for more deep brush like you found, and work up to more shallow ones in Jan and Feb. I would guess your crappie spawn in Feb thru early April.

[Eager Beaver]

Get a map of the lake you are fishing and mark where you caught your fish, than look for other spots like it that have a brush pile on them. Keep a journal of day, time, temp both air and water, depth and what you caught them on, when ever you catch a fish. Then next year you can go to your journal and won't have to ask anyone. Doing this will educate you a lot about the Crappie and will make catching a lot easier. EB

[Pepop]

Welcome from East Texas and good luck with your quest!